The influence of Lovecraft cannot be understated. Bar select performances out of the dark realms of ambient and noise, metal is perhaps on the best styles that can really encapsulate the madness and overwhelming density of Lovecraftian lore with all of its extremities and capacity to explore the darkest and deepest depths of human depravity and beyond. It oftentimes lands in the realm of black metal that we get a true and proper take on what Lovecraft can inspire in the world of metal, but death metal can still be a wondrous fit. Having plenty of experience elsewhere and a slow build to their first full-length album over the years, it’s Bizarre’s time to really show us how potent such a concept can be.
It’s one thing to create a voracious brand of extreme metal that assaults the mind with truly caustic intent that seeks to infect the soul and poison the mind against itself, but it’s another thing entirely to do that on a scale that’s worthy of being called Lovecraftian. That involves making material that’s virtually bottomless, the darkness that consumes even the brightest light, and madness that is nigh on infinite even beyond the very boundaries of realities with horrors of our weak flesh to match. In no small form, Bizarre more than delivers such a high burden with all that “Invocation Codex” brings to the table. Across the massive thirteen-track run that this album calls its own, there isn’t a single minute that passes that isn’t filled with some variety of intoxicating darkness or alluring madness that one cannot help but truly fall into whether or not they’re a veteran of the endless pits of Lovecraft or a casual death metal fan looking for that next step into oblivion the likes of which is very much alive. Alongside that, it’s with an extremely refined sense of what makes for a smashing death metal experience that “Invocation Codex” knows how to really pull the listener into a gloriously dark experience that is backed up wondrously by the previous experience that all of these musicians hold across several different points throughout the underground, coming together to make a truly enviable slab of excellence.
It’s got all the peaks and valleys that we could ask for coming from a record of this caliber with every possibility for greatness throughout the record being pursued with staggering results such that I would dare say this is a contender for best Lovecraftian metal that we’re to get this year. Without question, Bizarre delivers on all fronts virtually without flaw as it’s right unto the very end that “Invocation Codex” does nothing but provide us with a listen that is all but rare with all of its given qualities.
“Invocation Codex” releases on October 29th via Transcending Obscurity Records!
LISTENÂ to advanced tracks from “Invocation Codex” on Bandcamp here.
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